


How to Make Friends

by CyberFlow



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Act, Adventure, Friendship, Frisk is not mute, Frisk's Pronouns are They/Them, Monsters, Occasional angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, at least not in this fic, no ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 10:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5782828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberFlow/pseuds/CyberFlow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are so many different monsters in the Underground, but Frisk is determined to make friends with every single one of them. It doesn't matter how eccentric or mean they seem to be, this kid will show the monsters that not all humans are as bad as history has taught them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Froggit

**Author's Note:**

> Ok! this will be a series of short one-shots about the encounters with each monster you can find during the main story. The next chapters will probably be shorter than this one, but I'll try to make them worthwhile. If the encounters with a certain kind of monster are too short, I'll put them in the same chapter.
> 
> Well, enjoy and tell me what you think in the comments! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

At first, the Ruins hadn't been the most inviting place, with a creepy flower trying to kill them being the first thing Frisk had encountered. But they had to admit, after a while the place had a calming effect on them. Of course, any monster that came into view was almost immediately shooed away by that nice (goat?) lady, Toriel. While they didn't know if they could fully trust her, at least they would be able to stay safe as long as they remained by her side.

And then she asked them to stay alone for a while.

Clearly, she was not really worried about all the strange creatures roaming here and there. They did seem inoffensive enough, but Frisk wasn't too confident about that.

They had decided to listen and wait for her in that long room. But as time passed, they grew more nervous, and automatically began moving in an attempt to calm themself down. Frisk was unsure if leaving the room would be a good idea, but they figured it would probably be okay since they could call Toriel any time they needed her.

They were startled when they encountered one of those frog creatures just outside the door of the room. However, it just croaked something about using mercy. Frisk didn't quite understand what it meant by that, but they were relieved that was the only thing the frog thingy wanted with them.

Unlike the next one that hoped close.

Frisk was still getting used to use their soul to… well, do anything. On the surface no one ever explained to them that their soul could be manipulated to do stuff, much less to manage encounters with monsters. But they had learned in the few cases this had occurred, that their body tended to disappear in the "turn" of the monster and everything that was left was a little red heart that could apparently move without any influence from gravity. However, Frisk noticed how there seemed to be a limited space they could move it around. They also noticed, thanks to their encounter with Flowey, that attacks directed to that heart would cause pain in different parts of their body.

It had hurt a lot and they really didn't want to experience it again, so when the frog thingy came closer and they felt their soul getting ready to act, they kind of panicked a little. The creature tilted their head at them, almost in a questioning manner. If it was confused, Frisk thought, maybe they could scare it away.

"G-go away!" they said. "If you c-come any closer… I'll… I'll hit you!"

The monster seemed intimidated, but it didn't do as Frisk had told it to. Instead, a bunch of flies came out of nowhere and began chasing Frisk's soul around for a few moments. Okay, now they were getting scared. They felt their body becoming more solid as their turn came and, not knowing what to do, they desperately grasped the stick they'd been carrying around and swung it in the direction of the monster. They manage to hit it square on the head. This time the creature did seem to back down, shivering. However, it didn't seem able to move to far away, and Frisk realized that maybe both of them had to agree not to fight to be able to finish the whole deal.

"I-I won't hurt you if you leave me alone!" they tried.

To their surprise, the monster nodded. They felt their body become more solid as the "fight" ended. However, the relief of having won the battle was cut short when they saw the frog-like creature sobbing a little while rubbing their head. It hopped away, its gaze fixed to the ground.

Frisk felt… bad. Had they hurt it too much? They tried to tell themself that the monster would have killed them, but it somehow seemed like it wasn't really sure what it was doing. Frisk wondered if maybe it was possible not to hurt the monsters and try to convince them to just leave. Maybe… they could even make them like them? They weren't sure it would work, as Toriel had clearly said that the fact that they were human was enough to draw attacks. But in school they had always taught them that it was better to make friends with people rather than fighting them, so maybe they should try just that?

It wasn't too long since Frisk encountered another of the strange creatures. This time, Frisk took a deep breath when they felt their soul coming out. At first they just stared at the frog-like monster, as if that alone could tell them something about it that might be useful. They noticed there was some kind of eyes peeking below the lower half of the monster. They decided it was for the better not to question it. The word "CHECK" popped in their mind and suddenly some information flooded their soul.

-Froggit. Life is difficult for this enemy-

Frisk shook their head, trying to understand how they just knew that out of the blue. However there was no time to be distracted by that; it was the Froggit's turn. The monster took them by surprise by jumping directly at them, making them stumble backwards. That… hadn't hurt that much, it had been just like a little push. Maybe the monster did not want to fight after all. They got up and found the Froggit looking patiently at them. It was Frisk's turn. They looked at their stick for a moment and put it aside.

"That was, uh, a very impressive jump!" they said with the kindest smile they could manage.

The Froggit tilted it's head, apparently not understanding what was said to it, however the kind smile of the human had made them blush deeply.

The monster's next turn it attacked with flies, but they seemed to go pretty slow. Frisk could feel the reluctance in the Froggit and took the chance.

"Umm, I really don't want to fight you…". They said, the word "SPARE" (explained to them by a not attacking Froggit) appearing in their head.

The Froggit smiled and nodded. The "FIGHT" ended, but just before the monster hopped away, it approached Frisk and deposited some coins on the ground. It waited until the kid grabbed them before smiling once more and going away. Was that a peace offering?

That… had gone better than expected. Frisk smiled. Maybe they would be able to survive in this place for a while, if they could make friends with all the monsters that lived here. They stuffed the coins into their pockets, the thought filling them with determination as they stepped through the next door.


	2. Whimsun and Moldsmal

Frisk was beginning to think there probably wasn't anything but Froggits in the Ruins when a small flying creature meekly approached them. It was getting close in such a slow manner that, for a moment, Frisk thought it was just going to ignore them and keep going its own way. However, it stopped at short distance in front of them and after it emitted a weak "Oh no…", Frisk felt their soul being summoned out of their body.

Having learned from the various encounters with the Froggits until now, they took a big breath and focused on the word "CHECK". They first just observed the creature. It seemed like a little bug covered in a sheet, with fairy wings and a sad expression. A couple of words popped in their mind:

-Whimsun. This monster is too sensitive to fight…-

Frisk had learned they could get some information of the monsters that pulled out their soul if they wished for it strongly enough. They still didn't know how or why that even worked, but it was useful and they weren't about to complain. The description made them wonder why the delicate-looking monster had even decided to come close. Maybe it wanted to be friends? But why were they in a "FIGHT" then?

"I have no choice… Forgive me…" came the little voice of the Whimsun in an almost inaudible whisper.

Before Frisk had time to ask, they noticed the sudden appearance of a ring of moths around their soul and remembered it was now the turn of the Whimsun. They readied themself to dodge, but the bugs in the ring only kept spinning without breaking the formation and, soon enough, it was Frisk's turn again.

"Well… That was easy…" they thought.

Frisk turned their attention once again to the monster, which had its eyes tightly closed as if it was expecting the worst hit the human could manage. It had begun trembling and was struggling to stop fidgeting with its hands. The only thing Frisk could think of was trying to console it. They put the kindest face they could.

"Ar-"

But halfway through their first word, the Whimsun burst into tears and ran away…

Frisk was left dumbfounded as they saw the creature flying at top speed trying to get away. They barely felt their soul returning to their body as they tried to understand what just happened. They couldn't have said something wrong, could they? They haven't even said anything! Besides, a lot of questions were forming in their mind. Why was the Whimsun so sad? What had it meant when it said it had no choice? Was someone forcing the monsters to fight? They frowned. Nobody should be forced to fight, especially not someone that seemed as fragile as that Whimsun. They wondered if just as with the Froggits, there were more of those. They also wondered if each one of them was as timid as that Whimsun.

Well, the answers weren't going to just appear if they kept standing there doing nothing. They kept going onwards, managing the puzzle in the next room without much trouble. They were about to cross the door to the next room when a tug in their chest told them that, once again, someone had pulled at their soul and wanted to "FIGHT".

They rapidly turned around to find what looked like… molded jello? There were two pieces of it, but… where was the monster? Frisk decided to "CHECK" first to maybe uncover an invisible enemy, but the only response was…

-Moldsmal. Stereotypical: Curvaceously attractive, but no brains…-

Was it (whatever "it" was) talking about the jello? They would find out soon, anyways, since it was the enemy's turn. One of the Moldsmals made a sound that sounded something like "Burble burb…" and the other limited itself to slimy gross sounds that made Frisk want to never touch one of them. The actual attack presented itself as a bunch of cotton-like puffs that fell in zigzags, making it hard to dodge them, considering the amount those two were throwing. Whenever one hit Frisk's soul, it not only felt itchy, but it also made them want to sneeze.

When Frisk turn came around, they really didn't know what to do. The description they received wasn't particularly helpful. They didn't understand what it meant by "curvaceously attractive", but maybe "no brains" meant it wouldn't notice they were human if they acted like the Moldsmals did. So, they just lied immobile for a while on the floor beside the Moldsmals. Before they had to admit this was doing nothing, the time they spent thinking with the monsters made them feel they understood a little bit more about the world.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous… and unfair, Frisk realized, after the next attack of the Moldsmals consisted of the cotton-like puffs bursting in every direction. They reminded them of a thing that a documental had said some mushrooms released sometimes. How was it called? S-spores? They were now sneezing uncontrollably and their whole body itched. Maybe if there was just one of them they would be able to handle it, but this was just too much.

They tried to focus. Maybe they had imitated them in the wrong way. Frisk tried wiggling like the slimy monsters, but they only managed to look a little silly by moving their hips too much. In response, one of the Moldsmals came a little closer and wiggled in a way that almost seemed like the waves of the sea, plus a slight darkening on its front. Oh no. Was it… blushing? An adult had explained to Frisk what flirting was and that many people blushed when flirted at. Did the monster think Frisk was flirting with it?! That was gross adult stuff! They felt their own cheeks getting warmer in embarrassment. They wanted to correct the misunderstanding, but it was the monsters turn now.

The next attack was mostly like the first, so no problem there. But Frisk was seriously running out of ideas. What did they want?! They were about to "CHECK" them again when it finally dawned upon them. They groaned in exasperation and facepalmed as they remembered the words of one of the friendly Froggits they had talked to earlier. When they had "CHECK"ed them before, the name "Moldsmal" had appeared as yellow in their head and they hadn't even noticed. They could have avoided all this if they had just remembered that.

With a deep sigh, Frisk straightened themself and said out loud the phrase they'd been practicing with the Froggits.

"I "SPARE" you."

The Moldmals stopped wiggling for a moment as if processing what Frisk had just said. Without another sound from them they slowly began crawling backwards, leaving each two gold coins and a pair of slime trails behind. Frisk reluctantly picked the gold up and shoved it in their pockets. They would have to wash the coins later.

Well, that was finally over, after wasting so much time, but at least now they had enough money for that spider bake sale they had heard about! The thought of cakes and sweets as a reward for all the hard work Frisk was doing filled them with determination! …And hunger…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, these first parts may have two monsters, depending on whether one of them proves to be too short to write about or not, which means this length of chapters. But most of the chapters will be probably shorter than this, because some of the monsters are way too easy to figure out, at least in the Ruins, because they either tell you what they want or the other options are out of the question for sweet little Frisk (Why would they terrorize a Whimsun?). Hopefully the chapters will be longer when we get to the enemies from Snowdin, when the process of sparing requires a bit more thinking.
> 
> Well, hope you liked the chapter! Please comment so that I know what you think about it and to tell me how I can improve my chapters!
> 
> Up next: Loox!


	3. Loox

There were many stories on the surface that talked about horrible monsters that liked to chase and eat humans, so when Toriel had explained that Frisk had fallen into the home of all remaining monsters, they had been pretty scared. However, the monsters they had encountered until now weren't nearly as bad as what they had once imagined could be hiding under their bed. In fact, some of them were kind of cute, once they had grown used to them. Like the tiny Whimsuns! It was because of this nice way of thinking that when they saw the next new monster, they almost had a heart attack.

Its whole body was a sphere, a huge lone eye on its center being the feature that stood out the most. Tiny arms and legs moved quickly while it tried to catch up with Frisk. When it got close enough, they could see the little horns on its head. Frisk wanted to turn around and run as far as they could from that creature, but their feet were frozen in place. They only snapped out of it when it was too late and their soul had been summoned. Honestly, Frisk just wanted to try and run from the FIGHT, but their legs were trembling a little and wouldn't listen to them. They gulped and used their "CHECK".

-Loox. Don't pick on him. Family name: Eyewalker-

Well… not that Frisk had actually planned on picking on him. They didn't even want to be near him. They could see Loox gnashing his pointy teeth menacingly. They didn't want to think what would happen if the monster decided he wanted to use his turn to try to eat them…

"Hey!" called Loox. "Quit staring at me!"

Oh… They hadn't meant to be rude.

Frisk forced themself to focus when a bunch of spheres suddenly appeared and began bouncing in the limited area their soul could move. They were easy enough to avoid, but every time one bounced, it sped up. In the end, they got hit twice before the monster's turn was over. Now it was their turn, and they still had no idea how to deal with Loox. They took a deep breath before looking at him with determination in their eyes. They wouldn't show him how afraid they were!

When Loox saw the intense look in Frisk eyes he flinched a little and gave one step backwards. He covered (or at least tried to cover) his head and began shaking a little.

"Please don't pick on me!" he pleaded.

Frisk blinked in surprise. The monster was scared of them? But why? They could understand little Whimsun being scared after seeing how fragile they behaved, but this monster was actually scary-looking! And Frisk was shorter than all of their classmates in school! They weren't sure of the age of these monsters, but maybe this one went to school? Oh no! What if there were bullies there, and poor Loox was being bullied?! Maybe he was also the shortest of his class and was picked on because of it!

Frisk looked at his trembling figure and forgot anything about his frightening appearance.

"Uh, I won't pick on you. That would be mean!" They smiled softly at him. Then they placed a hand on their chest and added "You have my word!"

Loox gaped at them for a moment before relaxing and letting his arms hang loosely at his sides.

"Finally someone gets it!" he said with a sigh of relief.

Frisk wanted to ask him if people usually picked on him, but they were interrupted when their soul was pushed aside by a strange worm made of circles that appeared without warning. They frowned at themself as they directed the little heart out of harm's way. Seriously, how many times would it take for them to learn not to get distracted during the monsters' turns?

Well, at least that should have done it, right? They peeked at Loox's name and, sure enough, it was yellow now. It was now or never. Frisk walked towards the monster, who in response eyed them warily.

"So, umm, since I won't pick on you" they said a little nervous "how about you don't pick on me either? I really don't like to fight…"

Frisk averted their gaze. Suddenly Loox's staring was becoming a bit creepy yet again. Nonetheless, he seemed to consider it for a minute, after which he extended his hand.

"Seems fair!" He said happily.

Frisk smiled, relieved that he had accepted to end this peacefully. Loox shook their hand, maybe a little too vigorously, and walked away without another word. A couple of coins had been deposited in their hand and they wondered if monsters just liked to gift money. Frisk shook their head. That hadn't been as bad as they had expected. But then again, neither had been any of the previous encounters. Maybe they should stop thinking about the monsters the way that they were thought in the surface. They had gotten carried away when they saw Loox and the first thing they had thought of was all the tales of human-eating creatures. Frisk felt a little ashamed of how easy it was to scare them. Well, no more! They were determined to not let any of the lies of their school get to them anymore! They would make friends with the monsters even if the teachers got mad! It's not like they could ground them here anyway.

They nodded to themself and kept walking, eager to see what the other monsters in their path would look and act like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Just a quick note! I'm going to be alternating the updates of this story with the other one I'm writing (also Undertale if you are interested). I don't have a regular schedule but I'll try to keep posting the chapters consistently.
> 
> Please tell me what you think in the comments, it helps me a ton and constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Up next: Vegetoid and Migosp!


	4. Vegetoid and Migosp

If there was something Frisk had always been proud of in their short nine years of life, it was that they weren't picky with food. They had always heard how parents complained about their kids never wanting to eat vegetables, but Frisk hadn't yet found a food they outright disliked. They really liked that this little detail would never give adults a reason to complain about them. It even sometimes earned them a compliment! Because of this, even though Frisk had been surprised, they weren't particularly repelled by the giant carrot-like monster that suddenly popped up the ground. Its most threatening feature was its face, which reminded them of a Jack-o-lantern.

The insect that joined it shortly after, however, was a different story. Now, Frisk wasn't a scaredy cat. They found many insects interesting and all, but cockroaches just grossed them out. They hated the way they seemed to crawl after them instead of just going away. And this monster here, looked like a very big cockroach, with very dangerous looking mandibles, just like the ones that ants had.

They gulped, trying to decide what to do first. They figured it was probably for the best to just stay in Big Cockroach's good side from the start.

"U-uh, hello" they said and waved a hand in its direction.

The insect seemed taken aback by this. It rapidly looked between the carrot monster and Frisk before sending a poisonous glare at the human.

"I DON'T CARE!" it yelled at full force.

Frisk raised their hands and took a few steps backwards. Abort mission! Abort mission! Big Cockroach didn't want to make friends!

They readied their soul to dodge as the monsters turn began. Two walls of crawling insects formed at each side of Frisk's soul. The horrible thought of the walls closing on them coursed through their mind, but thankfully they didn't do such a thing. But those insects did represent an annoyance when a bunch of carrots started raining on top of Frisk's soul. There was just too little room to move, and as they tried to avoid the veggie projectiles, they inevitably ended touching the insect walls more times they were comfortable with. Every time it happened, Frisk felt like they were actually crawling on them and it sent chills down their spine.

"Farmed locally, very locally!" the carrot monster said with a big smile.

Wait. Was it referring to the carrots it had just been throwing? Well, Frisk remembered that in school teachers had been telling them that it was important to support local farmers. Maybe they could buy the carrots? But the monster was a carrot! The thought of taking a bite out of it crossed their head, but they immediately discarded it. That would probably hurt the monster pretty bad. They decided to just use their CHECK already.

-Vegetoid. Serving Size: 1 Monster. Not monitored by the USDA.-

The… what? Frisk frowned. They believed the teachers had also mentioned something like that. They scratched their head trying to remember. It was the something, something Agriculture, right? And they also believed that 'not monitored' probably meant they had been right in not trying to eat the monster. They most likely would get a tummy ache out of that.

"HEED THE SWARM!" came another yell from Big Cockroach. The loudness made Frisk flinch.

"Fresh morning taste!" Vegetoid announced happily while the air filled with the scent of steamed carrots and peas.

Once again, the insect walls rose, but this time was a bit trickier because it was not only carrots falling down, but also other kind of vegetables that bounced all over the place as if they were made of rubber. Once it was over, Frisk got worried at that little bar of "HP" that apparently only they saw. They didn't want to know what would happen once it hit zero.

Frisk tried to ask the Vegetoid how much it would be for their carrots, but it giggled in response.

"Plants can't talk, dummy!" it said.

"But, but you just-!" Frisk mumbled in confusion.

"LEGION! WE ARE LEGION!" interrupted them another furious exclamation from Big Cockroach.

Aaaaand, they wasted that turn. Miraculously, they managed to dodge everything this time. The smell of the steamed vegetables in the air made their stomach rumble loudly. Frisk patted their belly trying to calm the sounds. They had not wanted to eat the spider donuts they had purchased just yet, because it seemed like Toriel was doing something with cinnamon for them. They didn't wanted to be so full of sweets that they would want to reject whatever she was making. They looked pleadingly to the Vegetoid and said:

"Please, let's finish this. I want to go for some dinner!"

At that the Vegetoid started hopping up and down happily.

"Eat your greens!" it said.

Well, Frisk had planned to, but apparently they would have to wait even more since it was the monsters' turn once more. But out of the corner of their eye they saw a green carrot appear and then they got what their opponent had said. They hurried their soul to catch the veggie and felt immensely relieved when they felt some of their hunger satiated. Then they also notice how some of their HP was replenished. A quick peek to the monsters names revealed they could finally SPARE Vegetoid at least.

"Let's stop?" Frisk asked.

Vegetoid giggled earily a little more, then spun like a drill and dug its way underground. Among the resulting flying pieces of dirt, some gold coins jumped out and landed at Frisk's feet. They sighed. They'd need to finish the FIGHT before they could safely pick them up.

They turned to face the raging insect monster, but… it seemed a lot happier than before. They wondered if they could talk to it now, but they figured it'd be best if they knew what its name was first. They used their CHECK once again.

-Migosp. It seems evil, but it's just with the wrong crowd...-

They waited for the walls of insects, but the monster limited itself to bounce in place, smiling while moving their arms in a wave-like motion.

"Nothin' like alone time!" it said without stopping its little dance.

"Err, hi? Migosp?" Frisk tried. They covered their ears expecting a scream, but the monster just kept dancing on and on.

"Hiya~" it even said that in a friendly manner. It seemed like Migosp didn't had a care in the world anymore.

Then it clicked. Migosp had been trying to feign it was trying to hurt Frisk because there was another monster in the same area. Frisk repeated the words in their head "just with the wrong crowd, huh?" Were all the monsters really that worried that all the others were trying to fight humans that they didn't even realize that practically no one in the Ruins wanted an actual FIGHT with Frisk? They sighed. Maybe they could tell Toriel to make an assembly and make everyone here realize just that.

"So, you are pretty good at dancing, but I really have to go now…" Frisk told them to SPARE them.

"Oki-doki! Take this, then! Chaaa, chaaa, chaaa!"

With a rhythmic swing of its arms, Migosp threw a bunch of coins towards Frisk. They managed to catch them and then they put them in their pockets along with the ones that Vegetoid had given them. With a last wave to the contented monster, Frisk kept moving forward. There was not much left to the ruins, they just knew it! They were one step closer to get out of the mountain!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Napstablook!
> 
> (I'm so sorry! I posted the wrong chapter! It's now been corrected, though. if you read it, I hope you don't spread spoilers, please! Heheh, oops!)


	5. Here comes Napstablook!

A _ghost_.

Frisk shouldn't even be surprised by now, but standing right in front of one of the creatures that so many adults insisted didn't exist was a little nerve-racking. They were also confused, since the ghost lying on top of the bunch of leaves seemed more like what they would see in a cartoon and not in the few horror movies they had watched. They actually looked like a bed sheet with two black circles painted where the eyes would be and a big white dot on top of each of those. But they had learned their lesson with Flowey. Things that weren't as scary-looking could turn out to be the worse. They took a deep breath and advanced towards the ghost.

The corridor between the room Frisk was in and the next one was completely blocked by the monster (or at least Frisk believed that the ghost was somehow still a monster), and it was narrow enough that there was no way they would be able to just walk around the ghost without disturbing them. They considered going back the way they came from, but they knew for a fact that there was nothing else for them in that direction. They sighed. They hoped this wouldn't have to be the hard way…

Frisk slowly placed themself in front of the ghost and poked it gently with their stick.

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ- (are they gone yet?) -ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Frisk just stood there trying to understand just what the monster was doing. Then they remembered that the letter "Z" was for some weird reason a sign that someone was sleeping. But the ghost had clearly talked! So they were just pretending to sleep by saying that out loud? And who was 'they'? Was it Frisk? Well, since they were clearly awake they tried asking first.

"Ummm, c-could you please move?"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Okay, now they just felt ignored. Maybe if they just pushed the ghost aside a little they would be able to pass. They kneeled and gently nudged them, trying not to provoke them out of their feigned slumber. It… didn't work.

A quick 'Oh no…' crossed their mind as they felt their soul being summoned for a FIGHT. The ghost sighed and got up in a slow smooth movement, as if they feared their actions would disturb… something around them. Frisk had to admit they looked a little more intimidating floating around on top of the kid's soul. They looked at least twice as tall as Frisk. Not wanting to miss on any clue that would help them deal with this, Frisk used their turn to CHECK.

-Napstablook. This monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humor-

That… didn't help. At all.

"How does knowing that they don't have a sense of humor will help me to make them move?!" They pouted at the words in their head, but they knew they weren't getting anything else. Then they covered their mouth, realizing they had said that out loud. Frisk looked to the ghost apologetically, their cheeks warming in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm REAL funny." Napstablook tried to defend themself. But almost immediately after they let out the saddest sigh Frisk had ever heard and, for Frisk horror, they started to cry.

Long trickles of tears fell from Napstablook's eyes and started dancing around the limited space in which Frisk could move their soul. They tried making their soul dodge out of the way, but the number of tears finally overwhelmed them and they ended getting hit. It stung. The kind of sting that Frisk felt when they scraped their knees and an adult had to put disinfectant on the wound. But they weren't giving up! Even if that feeling had made them cry before, they wouldn't this time! They were going to be strong and apologize properly for making Napstablook cry! Frisk looked at the ghost when the tears stopped. Napstablook was staring into the distance and by the looks of it they were probably wishing they weren't there.

"H-hey, I'm sorry!" Frisk said with a patient smile. "I didn't mean to make you cry! And I don't know you really well, so you probably are funny and I just don't know it yet."

"Heh…" a faint smile was visible for a moment on Napstablook's little mouth. Good! Napstablook looked just a little bit better.

Frisk braced themself for the monster's turn, but nothing really happened. Frisk looked at them confused. Napstablook simply shook their head(?) and let out a long sigh. Surprisingly enough, the air from that sigh turned into mist that swirled until some words were formed in the air.

"REALLY NOT FEELING UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY." Was what they spelled.

And with that the turn ended.

Frisk really didn't know what to do next. They had never seen someone depressed before, but they guessed this was what it was like. They had once tried to read a book about depression (which they quickly abandoned because of the complexity of the sentences), and they had at least gathered that sometimes grown-ups got depressed when they stopped dating someone. Maybe Napstablook was in a situation like that?

"Do you need to go on dates?" they asked out of curiosity. Perhaps they could convince one of the monsters to go out with the ghost…

"I'd just weight you down…" They answered sadly.

Wait, what?! Frisk hadn't meant _them_! Once again, they had managed to make a monster think they were flirting with them. They frowned at themself for messing up again. But they didn't have time to think too much about it, since it was Napstablook's turn. Thicker, rounder tears fell from the ghost this time, probably from feeling guilty of 'rejecting' Frisk. These tears, however, fell slower than the last ones and they were less abundant, so the little human decided that they should try to cheer Napstablook some more. They settled for a joke as their next move.

"Umm, hey, Napstablook!" they called. "What type of ghost always returns to you?"

The monster tilted their head questioningly.

"A boo-merang!" Frisk said with a kind smile.

"Heh… heh…" Cool! Cheering seemed to have improved Napstablook's mood again!

Napstablook sniffled, a couple of easy-to-dodge tears finished falling before Frisk's turn. They once again decided to cheer him up, but before they could say anything, the monster drew their attention.

"C-can I show you something…?" Napstablook asked timidly. "I call it Dapperblook."

A _lot_ of tears started pouring out from their eyes, but instead of raining down on Frisk's soul, they defied gravity and moved upwards! When they reached Napstablook's head, they began forming something that looked solid (or as solid as Napstablook was). It wasn't long before a nice top hat had materialized to decorate the ghost. Napstablook looked at Frisk with eager eyes, awaiting their response. Now, Frisk had no idea what the word 'dapper' in 'Dapperblook' meant, but they knew they liked the monster's new look.

"Aww, you look cute!" They said truthfully.

"Oh gee…" Napstablook murmured.

Confused by the reaction, Frisk wanted to ask them if they had said something wrong, but before they knew it, their body felt a little more solid and complete, and they realized the battle had ended. Their soul disappeared into their body almost unnoticed as Napstablook approached them. It was weird. That was the first time they hadn't had to end a FIGHT themself.

"I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around..." the ghost explained. Then they smiled a little, a melancholic look in their eyes. "But today I met somebody nice..."

They looked at Frisk gratefully, but then seemed to realize something.

"Oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way."

And before Frisk could even say goodbye, Napstablook vanished into thin air. That was a shame. They had really liked this monster. They had hoped to tell them to be friends. They seemed like they needed one. Frisk shook their head. They shouldn't be thinking sad stuff. They had no way of knowing if they were going to see Napstablook again, but unlike the other monsters, they just felt like they would encounter him again. And even if it took several tries, they would make sure Napstablook knew they appreciated them.

A vague memory of a story about a solitary friendly ghost that liked nice people came to Frisk's mind. They remembered it almost always ended in people not wanting to be with the ghost. Well, time for Frisk to give them a reason to change that ending! The determination overflowing their soul told them that they could do it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcomed!
> 
> Up next: Toriel!


	6. Toriel blocks the way!

No, no, _no. NO!_

Frisk felt their soul being tugged at. They tried resisting it, but as a human, there was nothing they could do when their soul was summoned by a monster. They gulped and looked up, pleadingly. Toriel stood tall and imposing, blocking the way to the only exit of the Ruins; to their only chance of getting out of the Underground.

Frisk immediately opened their mouth to try and convince her of stopping the FIGHT, but…

"I, I-" They couldn't think of how to say it. They couldn't think of any other conversation topics, either.

Their turn was over before they could do anything. They shoot her a nervous glance. Toriel wouldn't hurt them after she had said she wanted to protect them, right? Wrong. Frisk gasped when they saw two waves of fire falling above their soul and crossing with each other. The attack took them by surprise, panic taking over them. The first fireball that touched them made them grip their chest in pain, leaving a burning sensation near their heart. They clumsily tried to get their soul out of the way, but there was so much fire everywhere that whenever they avoided a hit, another got to them from the side. Frisk watched with horror as the little bar labeled 'HP' was cut to half of what it was. Toriel's turn was soon over, and Frisk could recover their breath for a moment.

They decided to try to talk to her again, since is what she first had insisted that they did when in a FIGHT. They tried to think of something to say again, but… nothing. Ironically, talking did not seem to be the solution to this situation. They even doubted she would listen to them. Once again, they did nothing in their turn. The same attack as before came as soon as Toriel got her turn. She seemed to be staring at them, without really looking; it was like she was looking through them. Frisk felt like crying. They wanted to beg her to stop, to just let them through. But they knew that if they did, she would have proof that they weren't strong enough to leave, and she'd probably destroy the door as soon as they returned upstairs. So they refused. Toriel wouldn't see them cry! However…

Frisk was determined to get through this, but they probably shouldn't have been planning how in the middle of the monster's turn. When they weren't looking, a long row of fire made its way right through Frisk's soul, and before they had a chance to do anything about it, their HP hit zero.

Time then seemed to slow down. For a fraction of a second, Frisk could see Toriel's horrified expression, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes widened in pure shock. Then everything beside their soul went black. They watched it trembling before it succumbed to all the magic it had been attacked with. The tiny red heart cracked and split in half, only for those halves to crack and scatter into even smaller pieces. Frisk felt a sharp pain going through them. Tears began falling from their eyes as they felt like their little body was going to just crumble. Were they dying? They didn't want to die! Not now and definitely not like this! They shook violently, repeating 'I want to live' over and over in their mind.

It was then that a strange voice echoed in their head. It was deep, but gentle as if someone was whispering in their ear.

"You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…"

Chara? That name sounded familiar... and it sent shivers down their spine. And for a weird reason, they felt a nostalgic sensation filling them. Frisk had no idea why, though. They were sure they'd never heard that voice or knew anyone by that name. It didn't matter now, though. The voice had just told them not to give up! And they didn't want to either. They shut their eyes and focused. They weren't dead, they weren't dead, they weren't dead! They were going to CONTINUE living!

A flash of yellow light suddenly slipped through their eyelids. The pain was completely gone, so Frisk risked a small peek. The yellow light was gone too, instead replaced by the natural lighting of the Ruins. Frisk hadn't even noticed the moment in which their feet touched the ground. They looked around, confused. They were just outside of Toriel's house (which still filled them with determination). Cautiously, Frisk entered the building and walked towards the living room. And there she was, peacefully reading her book about snails. She smiled and waved at them. Frisk automatically waved back before rushing back outside to try to clear their head.

They wondered if they had been dreaming. If everything they just went through was nothing but a nightmare. They shook their head. It couldn't be, right? They didn't remember falling asleep on the house's garden, and even if they did, Toriel would have taken them to the room she had gifted to them. Besides, the only time they remembered sleeping, they woke up to a slice of pie. They confirmed that they still had it. They sat down on the dry leaves surrounding the house. Frisk felt… strangely safe, right there.

A sudden thought invaded them. What if they had gone back? They thought of the few videogames they had played. One of them had mentioned SAVE points. It somehow wasn't as cool as they would have liked, but they had no other way of explaining what just happened.

They had _died_ , and somehow, they had traveled back in time.

.

.

.

This time, Frisk was ready. Spider donuts and spider cider took the majority of their pocket's space. They were wearing an old ribbon that they had found lying around, in hopes that if they looked cuter, Toriel wouldn't want to attack them. She had been so nice, and she had looked very guilty when she had… Frisk wouldn't hurt her. She had done a lot for them and now they wanted to leave her alone. They understood. She was sad, and sad people did sad things. They had seen it before. Frisk felt sad too, because they were making her sad, but they had to get out. They needed to return to the other humans. That's where they belonged! Frisk took a deep breath and stepped forward. Once again, Toriel looked at them with a severe expression and pulled their soul out.

Frisk knew that talking wouldn't do any good, so they instead used their CHECK, like they probably should have before. They almost stumbled backwards when they received the piece of information.

-Toriel. 80 Attack. 80 Defense. Knows best for you.-

80 Attack and Defense?! Why was she so strong?! Frisk quickly shook their head and focused. They were still scared. Those hits before they died had hurt a lot, after all. But they wouldn't show it. They would prove to her that they were strong!

This time, they were faster. They still got hit, but it was significantly less damage than before. Good. No need for food yet.

"I won't fight you!" Frisk told her. They would endure whatever she threw at them to make her see that she was wrong.

"…" Toriel's eyebrows twitched for a second.

This time, she placed her hands in front of her, one above the other, and moved them in opposite directions, leaving two trails of fire behind them. The fire moved on its own, following Frisk's soul and bouncing everywhere. Fortunately, it was easier to avoid than her other attack.

"I won't attack you!" Frisk crossed their arms stubbornly.

"… …" Toriel was still acting aloof, but this time she _was_ looking at them.

The waves of fire returned. Frisk needed a spider donut.

"I won't hurt you." Frisk pouted at her.

"… … …" Toriel's brow furrowed even more.

Homing fire. Frisk dodged it perfectly this time.

"Stop!" Frisk stomped their right foot on the ground.

"…?" Her expression remained unchanged, but it was apparent she was struggling to hold her gaze.

Wavy fire. Got hit twice.

Now Frisk was just staring at her with a determined face.

"What are you doing?" Toriel finally asked.

More wavy fire. Frisk managed to catch the rhythm this time.

"Proving to you I'm strong!" they told her.

"Attack or run away!"

Homing fire. Got hit three times. They ate another donut.

"No!" Frisk said. They were trying really hard not to shout. They were getting tired, but they needed her to understand.

"What are you proving this way?" Toriel clenched her fists, making more of the homing fire come out of them. Frisk tried to dodge, but they had been taken by surprise and they got hit anyways.

"That I shouldn't try to hurt you, even if you ask! It's bad to hurt people! You said it yourself!"

Toriel shook her head and gave them a desperate expression.

"Fight me or leave!"

Wavy fire, once again. The attack was too intense, so Frisk was left with just a little HP.

"No!" They were so close. She was starting to give in. Maybe if they survived without eating again, she would see they weren't as weak as she thought.

"Stop it." Toriel said firmly.

Frisk was ready to dodge, but the raining fire that arrived was different. It avoided their soul as if it was afraid of it. Frisk gave her a puzzled look, until they caught her glancing at their HP bar. So she could see it, too. Frisk knew it! She didn't actually want to hurt them. They softened their eyes and gave her a grateful smile.

"Stop looking at me that way." She averted her eyes while saying it.

The fire continued to rain away from their soul. Frisk didn't say anything more, and instead, sat on the floor.

"Go away!"

Frisk shook their head. They weren't going anywhere until she let them through. They watched the fire as it fell, thinking how pretty it had looked in the fireplace.

"…"

More harmless fire. Frisk did nothing.

"… …" Toriel couldn't look at Frisk, her stern expression suddenly turning into a sad one.

Frisk frowned. They hadn't meant to make her even sadder. She sighed and finally looked at Frisk, sorrow filling her eyes.

"I know you want to go home, but…" She paused. "But please… go upstairs now."

Frisk shook their head.

"I promise I will take good care of you here." She said with a little smile.

This time, it was Frisk who averted their gaze. They knew that. No one had cared for them as much as this nice lady. They had felt right at home. But Frisk knew they couldn't stay. The history books in school said that humans should live away from monsters. It… was a rule. Frisk didn't like disobeying the rules. Bad things happened when they did.

"I know we do not have much, but…" Her smile trembled. "We can have a good life here."

Frisk kept looking away. They didn't think she didn't have much. Her house was nice, and the monsters around were kind when they tried. However, they felt a pang of guilt when they remembered a Froggit telling them that they were all too afraid of her. Maybe she was even lonelier than they first thought. They shook their head again.

"Why are you making this so difficult." Her smile disappeared.

Frisk said nothing.

"Please, go upstairs." She looked away.

None said anything for a bit, but none of them moved either.

"Ha, ha…" Her laugh was empty. "Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child."

"I-it's not like that-" Frisk started, but Toriel interrupted them.

"No. I understand." She took a deep resigned breath. "You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this."

Frisk smiled fondly at her. Even when she gave up, she was still thinking like one of those moms in bedtime stories.

"My expectations… My loneliness… My fear… For you, my child, I will put them aside."

Frisk felt a wave of relief washing over them when their soul slowly returned to their body. When they felt solid and complete again, they got up from the floor, not believing just yet that their plan had worked. They looked at Toriel once again, and their heart leapt with joy once they saw her usual kind smile.

"If you really wish to leave the Ruins," she said, "I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back."

And it was at that very moment that all happiness gained from making Toriel stop the FIGHT drained entirely from Frisk's body. The only way they managed to manifest their confusion was staring at her with wide eyes. Toriel smiled sadly and kneeled to hug them.

"I hope you understand." She said while pressing them tightly against her.

Frisk reacted too late and only got to return the hug for a couple of seconds. She then stood up and muttered:

"Goodbye, my child."

And with that she was gone. Frisk didn't even registered that she stopped to look at them for one last time. They could only stand there and stare blankly at the door, thinking of what she had said. She told them not to come back. She didn't want them anymore. She probably hated them for leaving her all alone. Frisk wanted to cry once again. But she just hugged them, so she couldn't hate them, right? They told themself she probably was just being polite. But… it had felt so real, how she cared. Frisk wondered if there really were things too good to be real. Going back and asking her was an option, but they decided against it. She was already gone, and they didn't want to hurt her more than they already had.

Frisk wiped a few tears they didn't realized they had shed, then they looked at the huge door in front of them. There was an ominous air about it. They remembered Toriel's words about the world outside and shuddered. Taking a deep breath to calm themself, Frisk advanced forward. Having discovered their new ability to SAVE, they were sure they would make it to the surface. This Asgore sounded scary, but Frisk was going to be brave! No matter what, they couldn't let everything they had done to Toriel be for nothing. Frisk placed both hands on the door and pushed, immediately feeling a cold breeze flowing through their hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! Mild angst infiltrated my fic!
> 
> So, I'm thinking of using my Twitter to post updates about this and my other Undertale fic (cough* shameless self-promotion cough*). Would you guys be interested in that? If you are, I have the same name there and my icon is a Zoroark.
> 
> Well, I hope that you enjoyed! If you did, please tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Up next: Snowdrake!


	7. Snowdrake

A chill traveled down Frisk's spine. They hadn't expected to encounter actual _snow_ just a few rooms away from the comfortable temperature in the Ruins. They regretted not having the courage to ask that skeleton monster to lend them that fluffy jacket. They could certainly use it right now. Frisk looked at their clothes. They were grateful for once that their sweater and jumpers were oversized, although they were still way too thin for this weather…

Frisk shook their head. They wouldn't let the snow slow them down! They tried to think of something else than the cold… The lamp! The convenience of that lamp still filled them with determination!

Frisk stopped when they noticed that there were two ways clear of thick forest that they could go through, so they tried to look for hints of which to pick. The sound of a river flowing reached their ears from the trail to their side, but if they squinted they could see something… _square_ in the one up ahead. But before they could decide whether they wanted to follow the river or see if there was somewhere to warm up ahead, they were startled by the sound of fluttering. Frisk looked around looking for the source of the noise. They didn't know there were birds down here! Not wanting it to go away, they tried to whistle at it… Then they remembered they didn't know how to whistle.

The kid's attempts to make contact didn't go unnoticed, though, because as soon as they turned around to continue walking, a giant bird jumped from between the trees and made them stumble backwards. Without a chance to even yelp, their soul was summoned out, so they hurried to stand up and face their opponent.

The first thing Frisk thought is that they had never seen such a huge bird in their life. It was even taller than them! Okay, maybe that wasn't so surprising considering that they were kind of short for their age. But still! Looking closely, its big head somewhat resembled a snowflake. Its wings did seem a bit small to actually fly, but what really made Frisk stare was its beak. It had several teeth here and there, but they were _moving._ As in the upper ones and the lower ones moved in opposite directions like they were attached to treadmills inside the monster's beak. Realizing the bird was returning the stare in a defiant manner, they quickly looked away and used their CHECK.

-Snowdrake. This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience-

Comedian? So it told jokes? Frisk wondered if it was friends with the skeleton monster.

"Fights you in _cold_ blood!" Snowdrake said as its turn started. It extended its little wings as much as it could, and to Frisk's surprise, some of the feathers stiffened (probably frozen) and shot out to Frisk's soul from every direction. They were taken by surprised, so they got hit a couple of times before finding a safe spot for their soul. Frisk might have found Snowdrake's joke funny if by the end of the turn it hadn't seemed more of a threat. They gulped. They didn't know yet what the monster wanted. A captive audience sounded like an audience that paid attention, so maybe if they told Snowdrake a pun it would see that they understood the monster.

"S-sorry," they tried, "I-I don't know what to do to _break the ice_ between us, heh, heh…" Well, that was lame.

"Ha… Ha… Nice try." Snowdrake seemed to think that as well.

Disappointment filled Frisk, but they shook it off quickly to tend to the next batch of attacks. This time, the feathers were a little more organized and they formed curved lines that tried to corner the little red heart. Frisk shuddered when a breeze formed by the flying feathers reached them. They tried to ignore it, but suddenly the cold was catching up to them and they couldn't stop trembling.

Meanwhile, they could hear Snowdrake muttering something about puns being great and Frisk saw them smile at its own bad joke. They were startled, though, when the monster's expression changed to one of shock.

"Wait a minute!" it exclaimed, "My name is _Snowdrake_. I-it sounds like snowflake! You are telling me my name is a freaking pun and yet he told me that…! UGHHH! I can't believe him!"

Frisk, still trembling from the cold, just looked at it. Snowdrake seemed to be having some kind of revelation that was making him freak out, so they decided to pass their turn. They knew older people didn't like to be interrupted when thinking about something important. The monster, however, managed to remember it was on a fight and it glanced at Frisk for a moment. When it noticed their trembling, it looked at them with a hint of… worry. It slowed its movements and it suddenly didn't seem to know how to react. It kicked a little of snow, before backing a little, like wanting to give them space. Then Frisk realized: Snowdrake thought they were trembling because they were scared of it.

"H-hey! You need to…," Frisk thought it was going to say something comforting, but then its eyes sparkled and they knew what was coming next. " _chill_ out!"

Snowdrake burst into laughter and so did Frisk. It wasn't the pun itself, but the exact moment Snowdrake had chosen to deliver it that made them laugh along with it. They even had to remember themself that this was Snowdrake's turn, although the feathers they had to dodge where kind of random and not too powerful since they had been expelled by the sheer force of the monster's laugh. When Snowdrake saw Frisk's reaction they smiled (how they managed that with a beak was beyond Frisk) and exclaimed:

"See!? Laughs! Dad was wrong!"

As soon as they could, Frisk closed their eyes to take a quick peek to see if Snowdrake's name in their head was yellow. And in fact, it was. Frisk could have ended the FIGTH that moment, but… Something about what Snowdrake just said bothered them. So it wanted to be a comedian, but its dad didn't believe in it? They didn't like that. At all. Snowdrake _had_ made Frisk laugh, after all. So they decided, why not make them a bit happier? They passed their turn once again. They knew they could handle another bunch of feathers; they had enough HP.

"Hey, hey!" Snowdrake said excitedly, "Do you know what my favorite lunch is?"

Frisk smiled at them encouragingly and shrugged.

"M.. m.. macaroni and _freeze!_ " Snowdrake stuttered, obviously trying to contain the giggles that wanted to escape. This joke didn't make Frisk laugh as hard as the last one, but it still made their shoulders shake with mirth.

"You have good taste! …In jokes" Snowdrake said.

After more feathers were accidentally shot because of its laughter, Frisk finally got their turn.

"U-um, can we stop here? I like your jokes and all, but I need to keep moving so I can find a warm place to stay…"

Snowdrake narrowed its eyes at them for a second, but it made its mind quickly. Frisk's soul returned to their body in a matter of seconds.

"Alright!" it said. "You've been the best audience I've had in a while, so I don't actually want to hurt you. Besides, no one would believe me if I beat you, because I'm 'too young' or I 'don't know what I'm talking about. How would I know what a human looks like?'" It appeared upset all of a sudden, but it got over it quickly. "If you want a warm place, Snowdin isn't too far from here. It isn't exactly close, but it's your best bet for now. There's an inn there. Oh, but it's kind of expensive…"

Snowdrake ruffled its feathers a little with its beak until it extracted something. Its teeth were clutching a small bag. Frisk looked at it questioningly and before they could say anything, the monster got close and offered it to them. They opened it and saw a bunch of gold coins within.

"Wow, this is so much money! Thanks!" Frisk gave Snowdrake a big smile.

"Heh, it's not _that_ much, but I hope it helps you cover the inn." Snowdrake ruffled Frisk's hair with its beak. "Well, time for me to go! I need to find more people who will appreciate my puns! Take care, human!"

With a last fluttering of its wings as what Frisk interpreted was a wave of goodbye, Snowdrake retired back into the forest. That… had been kind of fun actually! Snowdrake had looked kind of fluffy, so Frisk wondered if maybe, if they were friends, it would take a nap with them sometime. Oh, but it was a teenager. Would a teenager want to hang out with Frisk? They shook their head, determined to ask Snowdrake if they found it again. But, for now, Frisk was really curious to what that underground river looked like, so they put the newly received money in their pocket and advanced towards the sound of the water stream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! I'm back! I once again have stable Internet, so let's hope I can bring you regular updates! I was kind of busy and I couldn't write as much as I wanted so no multiple chapters for now. Sorry! D: However, I'm working on a new Undertale fic! Don't worry, it doesn't mean I will stop updating this one or United by Collision, so I hope you'll check it out when it's up!
> 
> Well, that's everything I wanted to say for now. Please comment and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Up next: Doggo!


	8. Doggo

-Aboslutely NO MOVING!- read the sign.

Frisk ceased all movement in an instant, too scared of what would happen if they ignored the warning. Several minutes passed, however, and nothing happened. Sighing in relief, they thought it must have been a sign used for something else in the past, like a game in which you had to stand still like statues and the first one to move lost. Those were fun! Well, at least it wasn't something worse… or that's what they thought.

As soon as they walked in front of the sentry station, a furry black-and-white head popped up from behind its counter, making Frisk freeze once again. It seemed to be a dog-like monster, his suspicious gaze darting from one place to the other. Frisk noted that even though they were standing right in front of him, his eyes didn't seem to focus on them.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination?" He asked while jumping outside of his station, appearing a little more intimidating when standing in two legs. Frisk stayed absolutely still, not daring to make a sound that could alert the dog of their presence. Angry dogs were scary, so they tried to think of something to focus on to not panic. The canine's strange choice of fashion caught their attention. The monster wore a pink tank top that had the face of a white dog on its front and a pair of yellow pants that had a cheetah-dots pattern. Frisk wondered if he wasn't cold in that, even with all the fur. They looked at his face… which was way closer than before, and caused them to instinctively take a step backwards. Big mistake. The dog's eyes instantly snapped to attention, staring directly at them.

"I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving... For example, a human..." The dog materialized a pair of daggers. Frisk gulped. "I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!"

Without giving them a chance to escape, their soul was drawn out. Frisk still didn't move. Surely the monster knew they were there or he wouldn't have made their soul come out… right? Frisk wasn't convinced. Maybe it was something he could do automatically, like a precaution. They decided to stick with the plan and just not move. Instead, they chose to CHECK.

-Doggo. Easily excited by movement. Hobbies include: squirrels-

Ok. That made sense, but it didn't really help their situation right now, unless a squirrel just appeared out of nowhere and decided that it wanted to distract the dog.

"Don't move an inch!" Doggo said. Frisk directed his eyes at him, fearing what he might do next. If they couldn't move neither their body nor their soul and they were attacked, it wouldn't end well for them. At the same time, the warning struck them as a little odd considering the dog could only see moving things. Oh, they knew! He wasn't sure whether they were a human or not, so he was giving a warning in case they were a monster. What a good dog! As for their predicament, since they had read that sign, everything had told them not to move, so they thought it the best course of action.

Doggo put his two daggers side to side in front of him. The blades soon began to glow light-blue and joined to form a luminous longer sword. Doggo closed his eyes and started to move it from right to left as if it was a scanner. Frisk's soul was directly in the way, but, against their best instincts, the kid held it still along with their breath. The weapon went through the red heart as if it was made of thin air.

Taking advantage of the fact that Doggo's eyes were still closed Frisk tried to make a run for it, but a rock hidden in the snow made them trip and they ended right at the monster's feet. They quickly stood up, but it was too late. Doggo's eyes were already scanning the area. Fortunately, they noticed he didn't seem to be able to look under his muzzle, which placed them at a blind spot. Perfect! …Although now they were stuck awkwardly close to him, not knowing what to do about it.

They didn't want to just do nothing in their turn and wait to be discovered, and soon, an idea occurred to them. If Doggo couldn't see them, did that made them like a ghost to him? Maybe they would be able to spook him! That way _he_ would be the one to move away. Yes. That had to do it.

Making themself as small as possible to not leave their blind spot, Frisk stretched their arm as much as it would go and pet Doggo's chin. Huh. The fur was even softer than they had imagined. When Doggo moved away in surprise, they recoiled with the fear of getting bitten.

"WHAT?! I'VE BEEN PET!" he screamed just as the start of a freak out. "POT! PAT! PET! PAT! POT! PET!"

He used the same attack as before, but barely paying attention to anything that moved while repeating those words. Frisk took the opportunity and once again placed themself under Doggo's nose. Their plan hadn't worked as expected, but judging by the dog's wagging tail, they knew they had done the right thing. When Doggo finally calmed down, they reached to pet them in the same place.

"WHERE'S THAT COMING FROM?!" he said startled, even though he had leaned a little into the touch. Now this was too funny for Frisk to just stop. They could barely contain their giggles as they watched the expression of the monster.

_Silly dog!_ Frisk thought. _You just have to look down!_

They petted again.

"THERE'S NO END TO IT!" Doggo exclaimed, his left leg starting to shake at the rhythm of Frisk's pets.

Okay, maybe Frisk had a weakness for cute dogs, and right now, this one was acting like a really cute dog. They knew his name was yellow in their head already, but they didn't want to go yet! Maybe just once more. This time they stood on their toes and scratched his chin with both hands. The effect was immediate. Doggo was practically on fours and his tongue hung out from his mouth, resembling more a dog from the surface. His left leg was trying to scratch the same spot Frisk was, which almost blew their cover a couple of times, but they were having so much fun that they didn't want to stop.

"WELL, THIS IS THOROUGH!" Doggo managed to say when Frisk moved a little to scratch his ear.

Frisk's arms soon got tired, and they had to admit that maybe they had exaggerated with the petting. They let go and sit to minimize their movements. Now that Doggo was yellow, if they didn't do anything he would probably go away… hopefully.

A couple of seconds passed before Doggo came out of his daze, realizing how he'd been acting. He shook his head and rapidly stood up. Nervously examining the area around him, he backed up a couple of feet, though it was enough distance for Frisk's soul to be able to return to their body. The human remained still and waited. Finally Doggo jumped back in his sentry station while mumbling to himself.

"S-S-S-Something pet me... something that isn't m-m-m-moving... I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!" Frisk heard him say.

Suddenly a bag was flung from the structure, landing right in front of Frisk. They took it and had to refrain from gasping. It was full of gold coins!

"Take this money and leave me alone, you- you… unmoving being!"

Oops. It seemed like they had freaked him out too much. Well, at least he said he had dog treats to relax, right? Dogs loved the ones that tasted like meat. Yeah, he should be fine. Frisk waited until Doggos head was totally covered by the counter of his sentry station to move. Even if he only saw moving things, the dog still shouldn't be able to see them through walls, Frisk reasoned. They didn't want to risk it, anyways, so they silently crawled on the snow until they deemed it safe to stand up again. They made a mental note to remember to crawl if they ever needed to go through this area again.

Before they leaved, however, a horrible smell reached them. Frisk looked around looking for the source of the stench. Their eyes landed on a couple of reddish bones that had been burnt halfway. Ugh. They recognized the smell: cigars. But who would just leave… bones that… smell like… Oh. Frisk looked back to the sentry station and made another mental note:

After reaching the surface, go back to the top of Mt. Ebott and drop a box of dog treats made with healthy ingredients with a note attached that asked to deliver them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one might be a short one, so I think it'll be up after updating just Alive at Last, instead of waiting until I update both of my other stories.
> 
> Well, if you liked the chapter, tell me how I did. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
> 
> Up next: Lesser Dog!


	9. Lesser Dog

A strange sight stopped Frisk in their tracks. On the distance they could distinguish a quickly growing lump of snow. They didn't know what was causing it, but they did know it was in their way. Frisk cautiously approached, hoping that they could use it to pass unseen. By the time they had gotten close enough to reach out and touch the bunch of snow, it was already taller than them.

They didn't want to have to wait until whoever was doing… whatever they were doing was finished since it didn't seem like they were stopping anytime soon. Frisk would have to figure out how to sneak by, so they risked a peek around the right side of the snow lump.

There, in the middle of a big hole, was a white furry dog. Frisk calculated it was at least the same size as a human adult. Worry started to build in them. Doggo hadn't been that big, and only by pure luck had they managed to get past him. Besides, this dog's torso and front legs were fully armored. It also was holding a sword in its mouth while it furiously dug into the snow. Frisk wondered if it was trying to bury the sword, although they didn't know why it would want to do that. A shield of some sort caught their attention. It was leaning against one side of the hole and its top protruded from the edge. If they were quick, they would be able to hide behind it and pass unnoticed. Their mistake was leaning too much into the snow lump to plan their route.

Before they knew it, a miniature avalanche buried them up to their neck. They yelped and tried to struggle out of it, but they were stuck. To make things worse, the dog had taken notice of them and it was now approaching to where they were. Frisk gulped. They hoped this dog didn't like to bite.

It didn't take long for the monster's nose to be all over their face. Frisk could even feel its breath while they were being sniffed. Ughh. Smelled like dog food. The dog was taking its time, and just when Frisk had the horrifying thought that maybe the dog would mark its territory on them (since this dog seemed to act a lot like the ones on the surface), it stuck its muzzle in the snow at the back of their head, grabbed the collar of their shirt and pulled them out of their icy prison. Frisk sighed with relief when their feet touched the ground. A little more and they would have lost sensitivity on their fingertips.

They looked at the dog gratefully, but just as they thought the monster would let them go without any trouble, it stood on two legs, took its sword and shield in hand, and pulled their soul out. They shot the canine a confused look, but it just stood there, panting. They sighed. Time to CHECK.

-Lesser Dog. Wields a stone dogger made of pomer-granite-

Frisk frowned, not really understanding at first. Then their mind processed the puns and they felt like pouting at the random words in their head. It _would_ be funny if they weren't in a FIGHT.

They had to stop being mad at the random information, however, when the dog lifted its sword and it began glowing a familiar shade of blue. The dog swung it down and a spear made out of the blue glow came out of it along with a white one. Remembering their previous encounter, Frisk let the blue attack go right through their soul, and then they moved the red heart enough to avoid getting hit by the other spear.

Frisk was about to think of what to do in their turn when they noticed that Lesser Dog had gotten close during its turn, its head cocked to one side. Well, this monster was really cute and petting had worked before, so why not try that again? Even so, they knew some dogs didn't like strangers petting them, so they barely lifted their hand to declare their intentions. The dog snapped to attention, its ears perking up and its tail wagging. Guess they had its permission.

Lesser Dog barked excitedly as it got its turn. This time a small quantity of snow lifted in the air and took the form of a little fluffy dog. It was so adorable Frisk almost didn't realize that it was looking at their soul like it was a chewy toy. The snow dog wagged its short tail at the same pace as Lesser Dog's and hopped towards the soul. Frisk easily dodged it, and they giggled when the snow dog returned to the ground as if it was goofily diving into a pool of actual liquid water.

It was their turn once again, and this time they made sure to actually pet Lesser Dog, though they only lightly touched it and it got overexcited. Frisk even thought for a second its neck got longer when it probably just straightened itself. The snow dog returned, but it was gone as fast as it had arrived.

Frisk tried petting it again, even though its head was a bit high for them to reach. Lesser Dog leaned down and raised its head to meet Frisk's hand. Its fur was so soft that Frisk wanted to pet it forever. And it seemed the monster agreed with that idea since its tail was wagging wildly fast and it was panting and barking a lot.

"You're such a good doggie!" Frisk said while petting its chin, but then they saw it. The dog's neck was definitely stretching. They were so preoccupied staring that they forgot to dodge the spears. The hits returned them to reality, but now they were a little freaked out… and curious.

They kept petting. It's neck stretched longer and when Frisk thought the dog couldn't get more excited, its breathing picked up the pace. It appeared Lesser Dog's excitement knew no bounds. They dodged another snow dog.

Even with the dog leaning down, the stretching neck was making it difficult to pet it. Filled with determination, Frisk stood on their toes and with the tips of their fingers they touched Lesser Dog's lower jaw. At that point, Lesser Dog simply threw its sword and shield and just committed entirely to being pet. For such a light touch, it surely had been a critical pet if it meant no more attacks!

Problem was, now Lesser Dog's head was too high in the air. Frisk had to jump to be able to pet it again. The monster made a strange excited noise that sounded half like a purr, half like a motor. Frisk shook it off. They could say with certainty that they had seen weirder things.

But reaching Lesser Dog was a problem now. Frisk gathered as much snow as they could at the monsters feet to create something like a step. Seeing this, Lesser Dog got excited even without being pet that turn. In fact, the motor noise transformed into what Frisk could have sworn sounded like a plane takeoff. They didn't even want to know how the dog was making those noises. At least a takeoff was a good representation of what Lesser Dog's neck was doing.

Frisk petted again, even if it was just its neck. They were having fun and there was no way to stop this madness, since Lesser Dog didn't show signs of stopping either, now making a cartoony noise of a kettle whistle. They petted again, and Frisk knew that if they were on the surface, Lesser Dog would reach the clouds.

They tried calling its name to see if it would come down, but it was too late; it couldn't hear them. Lesser Dog, however, saw them trying to get its attention and shortly after a faraway bark reached Frisk's ears.

And just when the kid thought this couldn't get _any_ weirder, the dogs' head suddenly did a sharp turn until it was upside down. At this point, Frisk just automatically petted them while staring in awe, and after a while, Lesser Dog's head was low enough that they could reach to pet it again. Frisk then decided that it was possible they had a problem because of the fact that they were continuing even after seeing a neck stretch like that, and that perhaps mankind wasn't meant to pet so much. They really wanted to know how much longer Lesser Dog's neck could get, but to tell the truth, their arms were getting really tired and they feared they could hurt the doggie if they kept going.

"Uhh, Lesser Dog?" they started. The monster tilted its upside down head (now on the same level of Frisk's head) to show it was listening. "Weren't you doing something important before I interrupted you? Maybe we should stop here…"

Lesser Dog whined and showed them its best puppy eyes… literally, but in the end Frisk's soul returned to their body.

"Awww, I know," Frisk said, hugging Lesser Dog's torso, "I'll miss you too!"

Lesser Dog's arms wrapped around Frisk, its tail wagging at a more tranquil pace. It even turned its head once again to be able to rest it on Frisk's shoulder. Freaky as that was, Frisk thought it was cute on Lesser Dog's part.

When they finally separated, Lesser Dog's neck retracted like a measuring tape, sound and all, startling Frisk a little. After picking up its sword and shield, it happily barked twice at Frisk and gave them a little bag with money. Then it ran ahead… even though that was not the place it had been digging in at all.

Frisk stretched their arms a little before they continued walking. They wondered if professional petter was a job on the surface or even in the Underground. If it was, then maybe if they weren't able to get out they could get a job by doing that. At least they knew who'd be a regular client.

No. They shook their head. They were determined! They would become a professional petter… on the surface!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, so much for this being a short chapter… XD.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! If you did, please tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Up next: Ice Cap and Jerry!


	10. Ice Cap and... (sigh)

In the Ruins, Frisk had learned that there were a lot of monsters of the same type. They had encountered Froggit after Froggit and Whimsun after Whimsun, with just a few differences to be able to tell them apart from each other. The pattern had repeated with almost every monster in that place, with the only exceptions being that ghost, Napstablook, and Toriel. This area was different. The skeletons they had first met upon arriving where appearing everywhere. The dog monsters so far had been completely different from each other and they hadn’t showed up again. And a certain pun-loving Snowdrake, kept finding them to tell them new jokes (or old ones it didn’t remember it had told Frisk before), each time inadvertently initiating a FIGHT with them.

Frisk didn’t mind. Actually, the company during their walk towards Snowdin was very welcomed. It helped to keep them focused and it was a reminder that it wouldn’t be too long before they could rest somewhere warm.

Upon turning away from two sentry stations at a dead end only labeled as ‘His’ and ‘Hers’, the now familiar feeling of their soul being pulled at warned them of the incoming ice puns. This time, however, Frisk was a little taken aback by not one, but two new monsters that were accompanying Snowdrake. The first one reminded them of a snowman, but with a tiny body, a spinning nose they weren’t even sure was a carrot, and a very big and pointy ice hat. It strutted into view, its head high and his little arms constantly readjusting his frozen ornament. The second one… Frisk didn’t even know what to compare it to. They guessed its shape did kind of resemble a UFO. A UFO with three little spikes on its top and rectangular eyes right at each side if its mouth. It stood on four thin legs and had two equally thin arms.

Strangely enough, Snowdrake and the snowman-like monster seemed a bit uncomfortable and audibly sighed when UFO just pushed its way between them to look better at Frisk. The kid shook the surprise aside and tried to wave hello to Snowdrake, only to be interrupted when UFO suddenly clung to them.

“Well,” it said “can YOU give me a ride home?”

“Uhhh…” A little uncomfortable with the closeness of the new monster, Frisk slipped from its grip and looked to the other two, disconcerted. Frisk didn’t know there were cars in the Underground, and more importantly, they didn’t even knew how to drive either! What if they caused an accident? Snowdrake only shot him an apologetic look while the ice monster rolled its eyes at UFO. With all the new interactions, Frisk caught themself almost forgetting that it was indeed their turn. Not wanting to make the monsters wait too much, they decided to CHECK UFO first.

-Everyone knows Jerry. Makes attacks 2 seconds longer-

Curious. The words in their head had felt a little… annoyed? And why did it suddenly seemed that everyone knowing Jerry wasn’t as good as it should be? In any way, Frisk decided that two seconds wasn’t that long, so the monster wouldn’t be especially troublesome.

“Your head looks so… NAKED!” The voice attracted Frisk’s attention. It was the little snowman monster; it was looking at Frisk as if it couldn’t understand why they weren’t wearing a hat.

The stare almost made Frisk miss the several ice top hats that emerged from the snow. They started shooting pointy chunks of ice at their soul, heavy enough that they fell right back after a second in the air. They wouldn’t have been hard to avoid if it wasn’t because Snowdrake had accidentally shot a bunch of feathers again. Somehow, they managed to not get hit.

“Man, you guys SUCK at this,” Jerry said. Both Snowdrake and the snowman shot him a look, but they elected to not say anything.

Frisk shrugged it off and instead decided to get to know the snowman monster a little better.

-Ice Cap. This teen wonders why it isn't named 'Ice Hat’-

Teen? Frisk couldn’t believe it. It was smaller than them! Well, if what they had heard about teens in the surface was true, it would explain why Ice Cap was bothered by its name not being exactly what it wanted. Then Frisk realized they had said that last part out loud…

“I just loooove my hat, okay?” Ice Cap crossed its arms and huffed.

Frisk cringed at the defensiveness. They hadn’t meant to be rude.

The next attack consisted of a wave of ice crystals above and below Frisk’s soul, which the kid found nearly impossible to avoid. Fortunately, Snowdrake’s  joke in that turn seemed to lighten Ice Cap’s mood a little. It didn’t last though.

“UGH! The wifi sucks here!” Jerry said looking at his cellphone. “Besides, why are we doing this? You are not even hitting the human! What a fail.”

If Frisk had had any doubts that Jerry wasn’t a nice guy, now they were gone. Putting that aside, they wanted to make it up to Ice Cap for their slip earlier so they decided to compliment it about its hat.

“Uh, hey! Your hat is so pretty! It sparkles!” Frisk tried. They didn’t think it was that great of a hat, but something told them it wasn’t the best idea to be honest at the moment.

“DUH! Who DOESN'T know?” Said both Ice Cap _and_ Jerry. The former glared at the latter, but Jerry only stuck his tongue back. Ice Cap seemed about ready to drill a hole with its pointy nose into the other monster. The next ice-chunk attack wasn’t even as bad as the last one because Ice Cap was looking angrily at Jerry and Snowdrake was just standing awkwardly at a safe distance. Frisk however decided they hadn’t liked Ice Cap’s cocky answer, so they focused in attending Snowdrake’s ration of puns. They tore their eyes away from Ice Cap’s hat and decisively walked closer to Snowdrake. Ice Cap seemed annoyed.

“What? What are you doing?” It said. But Frisk paid no attention to it and kept joking around with Snowdrake. They even ignored Jerry’s ‘SHH, guys! I'm THINKING!’ Just before their friend was content enough to step aside of the battle, it gave Frisk a tip.

“Don’t let Ice Cap think you like its hat too much,” Snowdrake whispered, “It only wants you to give it compliments. I swear Ice Cap is a nice friend, but it just needs to stop seeking so much attention because of its hat.”

Frisk nodded in understanding. Being mean wasn’t the right way to make people notice you. They turned their attention towards their soul, as it was the monsters’ turn. They found the wavy attack was easier to dodge when they were focusing solely on it instead of trying to be aware of what the others were doing. They got hit at the end though, because Jerry just happened to sneeze loudly without covering his nose, breaking Frisk’s concentration. They pouted at him, refusing to look away even when they heard Ice Cap.

“HELLO??? My hat's up here!” It tapped its hat several times as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing Ice Cap had on, but it got no answer. It seemed defeated. It sulked and turned away, probably not wanting to stay there any longer. “OK! I'll ignore you too!”

“Guys, it's COLD. Does ANYONE care?” Jerry complained while scratching something off its teeth.

Frisk looked back and forth between the two monsters and sighed. If they had to choose, they much rather have to deal with Ice Cap than Jerry. Not wanting to end in a bad note with the snowman monster, they approached it.

“Hey, uh, I’d like it if we stopped fighting now.” They said. But the offended monster just looked away. Frisk hoped they hadn’t messed up too badly that they wouldn’t be able to get out of the battle. After all, they needed Ice Cap to agree. “I do think your hat is really nice, but if we could just-”

“HA! I knew it!” Ice Cap interrupted, “Envious? TOO BAD! You’re not getting a hat like this anytime soon.” It said as it patted it lightly. “But it’s understandable that you got so envious you didn’t want to talk to me. I guess I can forgive you.”

“Ah, thanks?” Frisk just didn’t know anymore.

“Still,” Ice Cap said after looking Frisk up and down, “you could use a hat of your own.” The monster lifted its hat slightly and extracted a little bag from it.

“Here,” It offered it to Frisk, “It won’t get you something as fabulous as _my_ hat, but it should get you something nice.”

And with that it strutted towards Snowdrake. Frisk looked at the bag of money a little confused by Ice Cap’s sudden change of mood. Were they friends now?

“So, like, what are you even doing?” Asked Jerry, who was practically breathing on their neck. Startled, Frisk backed away from him and stumbled on the snow. They both stared in silence at each other.

“Awkwarrrd.” Jerry said.

Frisk was at a loss of what to do. This monster just didn’t want to go away and they couldn’t think of anything he would want to talk about without changing of subject just because. Their salvation came in the form of a snowball. It hit Jerry square in the back, which prompted the monster to turn around.

“What’s the DEAL?” he said.

Frisk couldn’t see anyone either, but before they could ask any questions of their own, they were grabbed by the arm and dragged away from the place. It didn’t even matter Jerry hadn’t ended the “FIGHT”; their soul returned to their body either way. When they finally stopped moving, Frisk was put down near a couple of trees. Looking up, they discovered that their abductors and/or saviors were none other than Snowdrake and Ice Cap. The monsters high-fived each other.

“Ha! Did you see him? You could say he was _frozen_ on the spot!” Celebrated Snowdrake.

Ice Cap rolled its eyes and smiled.

“You owe us one, kid!” it said. “Ditching Jerry can be difficult if you don’t have practice.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Snowdrake said when it saw Frisk’s doubtful face. “I know it seems rude, but if you don’t ditch Jerry when he’s least expecting it, then you’ll freeze out here while he complains about how there’s too many trees in the _forest._ You need to keep moving, human!”

“Yeah, besides we spend enough time with him every day.” Ice Cap said, putting a hand on Frisk’s shoulder. “Now hurry up and get going before he finds us! Rumors say he’s able to detect annoyable people.”

Frisk giggled and shook their head. Monsters were weird.

“There’s a couple of sentry stations up ahead, but if you’re lucky you won’t find any of the guards on your way to Snowdin.” Snowdrake warned them.

The kid thanked them both for the help. They guessed Ice Cap was their new friend after all. Frisk made sure to hug them before saying goodbye. Snowdrake returned the hug heartily, while Ice Cap limited itself to pat them on the back. The cold hand of the latter reminded them that they had to keep going. The snow wasn’t going to get any warmer any time soon.

With a last smile towards the monsters, Frisk turned around and resumed their walking. They were really curious as to what this Snowdin town looked like. Would the monsters mind them being a human? How different would they be to what they had already seen? Did they also ditch Jerry on a daily basis? Frisk at least hoped there were other kids there. They were starting to feel like a baby with all these teens…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S-seven months? What do you mean it’s been seven months? O-of course it hasn’t been… Okay, it has been seven months, but! It’s just college and tests and stuff! I really want to keep writing but real life won’t let me! If I do I’ll just be procrastinating and I’ll fail at college. But I figured you guys deserve a chapter, if only to let you know I haven’t given up on fanfiction. I reaaaaallyyyyy hope I can update soon, but I won’t make any promises. To all of you patient people that still follow my stories, thank you sooooo much!!  
> By the way! I'm now posting my fics on Tumblr as well! And maybe I'll also start posting art too! Since I'm so new at the site, it would help me a ton if any of you, (if you have the time and want to do so, that is) go there and reblog my stories. It'd me help get a little more visibility and I would love you forever. You can access my tumblr page from my profile!  
> Well, that’s all I wanted to say for now. I hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Up next: Gyftrot!


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